Typewriter 150
June 22, 2018
On June 23, 1868, 150 years ago tomorrow, the United States Patent Office awarded patent no. 79,265 for the world’s first typewriter. The patent went to three inventors from Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Christopher Latham Sholes, Carlos Glidden, and Samuel W. Soulé. The typewriter revolutionized business and personal communication, allowing people to write with clarity, repetition, and speed. Typewriters, of course, no longer sit on most people’s desks. But the legacy of the typewriter lives on in the keyboards of computers and smart phones as well as in the skill of typing itself.
![This model of the Sholes, Glidden, and Soulé typewriter was awarded patent number 79,265 on June 23rd, 1868. This Sholes, Glidden, & Soule typewriter patent model was awarded patent number 79,265 on June 23rd, 1868. C. Latham Sholes, Carlos Glidden, and Samuel Soule were living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin when they began to make progress towards a commercially viable type-writing machine after several aborted attempts. The improvements named in this patent include a “better way of working type bars, of holding the paper on the carriage, of moving and regulating the movement of the carriage, of holding and applying the inking ribbon, a self adjusting platen, and a rest or cushion for the type-bars.” Many early typewriters used piano keys in their designs, including this model with only six keys. Credit: Smithsonian Institution](https://bth.worldbook.com/bth/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/pc379453-300x194.jpg)
This model of the Sholes, Glidden, and Soulé type-writer was awarded a patent 150 years ago on June 23, 1868. Credit: Smithsonian Institution
In 1867, after much trial and error, inventor and journalist Christopher Sholes designed the first practical type-writing machine. He built the first model with the help of fellow inventors Carlos Glidden and Samuel Soulé. The patented machine of 1868 used piano keys which were used in conjunction with the adjustable knob on top to produce the 26 letters—in ALL CAPS—of the English alphabet. The machine was soon fitted with a more practical keyboard consisting of buttons assigned to each letter as well as punctuation marks and a space bar. New versions also used an upright carriage, allowing users to see the words on the page as they typed. In 1873, the rights to the type-writer were sold to E. Remington and Sons, a gun manufacturer that marketed and mass-produced the new machine.
![Click to view larger image A patent drawing of the first typewriter by Christopher Lathem Sholes, Carlos Glidden, and Samuel W. Soule from 1867. The patent was issued it in 1868. Credit: © Science Source](https://bth.worldbook.com/bth/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/pc365151-198x300.jpg)
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This drawing of the first typewriter accompanied the patent awarded in 1868. Credit: © Science Source
The earliest typewriters used keyboard layouts that had letters arranged alphabetically. These layouts enabled the typist to locate keys easily. However, a problem often occurred. When the typist struck in rapid succession two or more keys whose type bars were next to one another, the bars frequently jammed. To remedy this problem, Sholes helped develop another layout in the 1870′s. This layout, known as QWERTY, is still the standard for keyboards in most English- and Spanish-speaking countries. It is called QWERTY because the letters Q, W, E, R, T, and Y appear in succession near the upper left-hand corner of the keyboard. In the QWERTY layout, the bars for the letters that most often appear in combination in the English language are far apart.
![Click to view larger image A computer keyboard includes all the keys found on a typewriter, shown here in pale blue, along with other keys or groupings of keys. On most computer keyboards, the other groupings of keys include function keys along the top row; a number pad at the right; and navigation keys, such as the arrow keys and the Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down keys. Special keys along the bottom row, such as Alt and Ctrl (control), can be held down at the same time as other keys to give those keys extra functions. Credit: WORLD BOOK Illustration](https://bth.worldbook.com/bth/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/pc313887-300x102.jpg)
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A computer keyboard includes all the keys found on a typewriter, shown here in pale blue, along with other keys or groupings of keys. The top row of letters gave the QWERTY layout its name. Credit: WORLD BOOK Illustration
Keyboards in some other countries have different layouts, maximizing the use of common letters in other languages. Many French-speaking countries use the AZERTY keyboard. Germany and many central European nations have QWERTZ keyboards, and alphabets that do not use Roman characters—Arabic or Chinese, for example—have their own individual typing layouts.
The first successful portable typewriter appeared in the early 1900′s. Electric typewriters came into use in the 1920′s. The first simple word processors, then often called automatic typewriters, came into the market during the early 1960′s. Manufacturers developed the electronic typewriter during the late 1970′s. Beginning about 1980, personal computers and printers began to replace typewriters for home and office use.